nichols



mi Model.)

'W. 0. NICHOLS.

LAST.

' Patented Feb. 28.1882

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM (J. NICHOLS, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,150, dated February 28, 1882.

Application filed December 8, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WM. 0. NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn,

in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts to be Used in Boots and Shoes, of which the following, taken to fix his grasp upon the upp'erfleather or Vamps, so that these parts notunfrequently become badly crushed by the gripe of the operators hand.

It is the object of this invention to provide a device to be inserted within the boot or shoe, without materially increasing the weight thereof, which shall keep the vamp sufficiently rounded out topreventits beingundulycrushed by any ordinary gripe of the workman.

The invention consists in a concavo-cony ex shell, or mock last, having the conformation shown in the drawings, to be constructed and used as hereinafter more fully described.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan view, showing the form into which the material is out before being molded. Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing the form of the article after being molded.

A piece of thin sole-leather or leather-board is first out into the shape shown in Fig. 1. It is then given the conformation shown in Fig. 2 by any obvious process of molding. The size of the article should be determined according to the size of the boot or shoe in which it is intended for use. .I prefer to make it large enough to require compression of the sides in order to get it into the boot or shoe, so that its resiliency or tendency to expand when in the shoe shall be sufficient to keep the vamp fully rounded out.

(No model.)

Any requisite degree of resiliency may be 5 obtained by due regard to the thickness and I nature of the material used.

An article made in this manner will be sufficiently flexible to allow the vamp to be depressed or sprung away from the sole-edge whenever occasion requires it. To examine or work upon the rand it will too be sufficiently resilient to counteractthe ordinary gripe of the operator, so as to prevent the upper or vamp from becoming unduly jammed or crushed. I do not, however, confine myself to the use of the material named, for it is evident that the article may as well be made of rubber, guttapercha, wood, pasteboard, sheet metal, and

many other obvious substances which admit of molding, substantially as described. Neither do I limit myself to an article having lateral flexibility or resiliency, for astiff shell having the desired conformation will be equally useful in many cases but I claim- 1. As a new article of manufacture, the bottomless shell or expander for a boot or shoe, having flexible or elastic sides.

2. An improved device for expanding the upper of a boot or shoe, for the purpose set forth, formed from a single piece or blank bent into shape and having free spring sides, all substantially as set forth.

3. An improved device for expanding the upper of boots or shoes, consisting of a hollow body portion of the contour of the front top portion of a last, terminating in rearwardlyextending spring side pieces having free ends, all substantially as shown, for the purposes set forth.

WILLIAM 'o. NICHOLS.

In presence of- O. B. TUTTLE, BENJ. K. PRENTIss, Jr. 

